Month: May 2017

Christian Aid Week

On By hartfordmethodist

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It’s better to die in a refugee camp than to die in a war. To risk your children’s lives in a plastic dinghy. And to leave everything you know behind.

When the alternative is terror, bombs and bullets, almost anything is better.

This is the terrible choice facing tens of millions of people worldwide – fleeing conflict and disaster, making dangerous journeys in search of safety.

Christian Aid Week was set up 60 years ago to support our work with refugees in Europe following the Second World War.

Let’s act again now, to help relieve suffering and build a world where everyone has a safe place to call home.

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Nejebar fled violence in Afghanistan, but her hopes of a safe, peaceful future for her family feel like a distant dream. They’ve spent the last six months in a tent in a refugee camp in Greece, huddled together against the wind and rain.

This Christian Aid Week raise money to transform the lives of our neighbours like Nejebar.

From the Manse

On By hartfordmethodist

On Sunday 14th May we will hold our Annual Church Meeting which will follow on from the morning service. This meeting is not intended to be a long meeting but it is an important part of the life of the church. During this meeting we will elect the church stewards and also elect members to sit on the Church Council. If you feel able to volunteer as a church steward please see me before the meeting.

Apart from electing some of the church officers, the meeting will also receive reports from the various church committees.

Each year we also look at the Church Mission Statement and consider its implications for the next year. The mission statement reminds us that ” as the people of Hartford Methodist Church we will show God’s love to the community of Hartford and to the world through our actions and deeds as a living Christian fellowship.

God Bless

Chris Pritchard

Praying For Kenya

On By hartfordmethodist

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On Sunday we remembered our link with the Kenya Fund and Timboni Primary school.

Several countries in East Africa are facing drought following multiple poor rainy seasons. Drought, along with economic insecurity, crop failures, livestock deaths, ongoing conflict and climatic shock has led to food insecurity and the need for food assistance for more than 17 million people across East Africa.

Kenya has been experiencing erratic rainfall and prolonged dry spells. About 70 percent of Kenyans are smallhold farmers who grow crops and/or keep livestock. The erratic weather has resulted in reduced crop yield, crop failure and reduced animal pastures, as well as dwindling or drying of many water sources such as rivers, streams and ponds.

The ongoing prolonged drought has resulted in thedeath of livestock and acute food and water shortages. In towns and cities, food prices have gone up by 50 to 60 percent. In February, the Kenyan government declared the ongoing drought a national emergency. The government also projects the number of food insecure people in Kenya will significantly increase from 2.7 million to 4 million by the start of April 2017.

Please continue praying for the drought situation Kenya is experiencing in some regions. In 2016 the rains were poor, leaving 1.3 million Kenyans in need of food aid, according to government figures. The government has started distributing maize, beans and rice to those in the worst affected northern and coastal regions.

Praise God, there has been rain in the last few weeks in some regions. Please keep on praying that the efforts of the Kenyan government and NG organisations would bring much needed relief to those affected, especially as they begin to till their lands in preparation for the next season.

Project in Kenya

On By hartfordmethodist

Nestled in the Githutha hills, 30 kilometres northwest of Nairobi, Kenya, lies a traditional farming community.

Life is a challenge for the people of Githutha. Here unpredictable weather conditions cause havoc with crop yields. More often than not, the subsistence farmers don’t have enough food to place on the table. Traditional family structures have been ravaged by HIV and AIDS and many in the community have turned to the local homemade alcoholic brew just to get through the day.

As always, it’s the most vulnerable who are hit hardest. Githutha’s children are subject to hunger, child labour and abuse.

But thanks to the Compassion project run by Githutha Church, things are changing.

The community’s poorest children are being given new hope through the Compassion programme.

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Every project day, children gather together to share devotional time and sing songs of worship. Children are introduced to the God who listens to their prayers and answers. Thanks to their sponsor, every child is given the opportunity to attend school and receive additional educational lessons at their project. Children are also taught the Compassion curriculum which covers everything from staying healthy to managing your money well! Children are given nutritious food during break times and lunch. Any children who are identified as malnourished are put on specific feeding programmes and given extra food packages to take home. There’s a focus on developing good hygiene practices. The project even has a demonstration garden to teach children good farming practices to improve crop yields. In a country where the youth unemployment rate is estimated at 25 per cent*, teenagers are taught vital vocational skills. Supportive project staff members give young people guidance in identifying their strengths and giftings. The project is a safe haven where children are known, loved and protected.

http://www.compassionuk.org